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Trade-Offs / Bystander
A team of Joes follow the Oktober Guard onto Cobra Island, whilst elsewhere Snake-Eyes deals with a robbery. Issue summary: Trade-Offs In the Gulf of Mexico, two members of the Oktober Guard - Stormavik and Schrage - climb off a Soviet submarine onto a dingy as the W.H.A.L.E. is spotted closing in. On the W.H.A.L.E., Cutter orders the Joes to fire warning shots which make the submarine dive. Wet-Suit and Torpedo then capture the Stormavik and Schrage by jamming their dinghy. But near the coast of Cobra Island the other three members of the Oktober Guard - Horrorshow, Colonel Brekhov and Daina - continue their mission and land, burying their dinghy. Cutter radios Hawk about the captured guardsmen and suddenly spots the rest on the island, entering the swamp. The arrival disturbs Croc Master, who was resting in the swamp, and he summons many alligators to deal with the intruders. Meanwhile at the Amphitheatre Cobra Commander leads a procession of key Cobra personnel and delivers a very brief speech to begin party festivities. The Baroness tells him they need to talk in private. In the swamp the three guardsmen are attacked by the alligators and cannot fire their weapons lest they create a disturbance. Meanwhile at the balcony at the back of the Amphi-theatre the Baroness tells Cobra Commander that she wants a return for arranging for him to take the real Commander's identity. Fred VII removes his helmet and explains that rather than learn the long speech she wrote, he instead built another set of battle armour. He then kisses the Baroness as the party fireworks go off. In the swamp the noise creates a distraction and the guardsmen start shooting, then Horrorshow throws out his backpack full of roast chickens. He runs fast, telling the others he put grenades in the chickens, just the alligators explode. This enrages Croc Master. On the coast Deep-Six deposits Wet-Suit and Torpedo, who change into land kit and head after the guardsmen. At the Amphi-theatre the Baroness sees a flash of light in the swamp, but Fred dismisses it as a firework off course and that nothing will get past Croc Master. But the Baroness isn't so sure and points out they found Croc Master through an advert in the Florida press and he is still on a trial basis. She goes to send a discreet security team. Below the balcony Dr. Mindbender and Serpentor confirm their suspicions that "Cobra Commander" is an imposter and the Baroness is in on it. Serpentor tells Mindbender to wait to see how they can turn it to their advantage. At the edge of the swamp the guardsmen see the Baroness leading a H.I.S.S. and Maggot squadron forward, whilst behind them Croc Master is sneaking up on them. But behind him the two Joes make a noise. Croc Master sends an alligator after them. On the balcony Fred is about to put his helmet back on, when a B.A.T. knocks him out. Serpentor and Mindbender then strip him of his armour and put it on the B.A.T. Down in the swamp Torpedo tries to silently subdue the alligator but when this fails he resorts to a grenade. On the balcony Mindbender and Serpentor prepare to use the B.A.T. to their advantage, when the three guardsmen climb over the edge and knock the two Cobras out, believing also that they have subdued Cobra Commander. They proceed to leave. Wet-Suit observes this from the swamp as Croc Master sneaks up behind him, but Torpedo suddenly appears and knocks him out. The guardsmen leave the balcony, but Horrorshow's remaining backpack is grabbed by another alligator and he panics as it is full of plastic explosives. The three guardsmen and two Joes all flee, seeing the shapes of the Cobra squadron on the horizon. The alligator explodes and the Baroness brings the squadron towards the intruders. The guardsmen and Joes recognise one another and agree a truce to escape. They destroy a few vehicles and then the Baroness sees they are carrying Cobra Commander and orders them to hold their fire. The five intruders and their prisoner flee to the docks. At the docks there is only one Mambe helicopter with just room for four, so the guardsmen take it, whilst Wet-Suit and Torpedo turn down a hydrofoil for a Water Moccasin as it presents a smaller target. as they flee, the Baroness and her troops reach the dock and board a Moray Hydrofoil in pursuit. Back at the Amphi-theatre Serpentor and Mindbener come to and realising the B.A.T. has been taken, Serpentor activates it in berserker mode. Aboard the Mamba the B.A.T. goes berserk and smashes through the windscreen. Standing up it is smashed by the rotor blades and the Mamba goes down towards the seat. The Baroness is in pursuit but they reach international waters where both the W.H.A.L.E. and the Soviet submarine are waiting. Outgunned, she orders a retreat. Cutter proposes a trade of Stormavik and Schrage for the Mamba, which the Soviets could never take aboard the submarine. The Soviets agree and leave. Back on Cobra Island the Baroness reports to Serpentor that Cobra Commander is dead, but suddenly Cobra Commander emerges in his spare battle armour. Serpentor feigns gladness at the Commander's survival and his foe responds that the troops will be touched by his loyalty, to which the Baroness concurs. Featured Characters Featured Vehicles & Equipment Errors *The Mamba captured in this issue is off-model, drawn with a single, large cockpit capable of seating four. When the Mamba is subsequently used by the Joes in issue 73, it's shown with the single-pilot cockpit and attack pods. Items of note * Fred VII likens kissing the Baroness to kissing a dead mackerel or something worse. *In the United Kingdom the story was reprinted in the Action Force Annual 1990. Issue summary: Bystander Scarlett and Snake-Eyes, both in civilian gear, pull up at an 8-12 store to get some talcum powder for his mask but the store doesn't stock it so Scarlett pops down to the drug store two stores down, whilst Snake-Eyes stays to pick up magazines and drinks cans. Three men - Earl, Turtle and an unnamed one - come in and pull guns on the cashiers Bob and Tracy-Ann. Bob presses an alarm button and is gunned down. Snake-Eyes throws the drinks can at the third man and uses the distraction to disappear. Earl is about to kill Tracy-Ann when Snake-Eyes leaps over a shelf and knocks him out, stuffing a magazine in his mouth. He then dodges bullets and smashes a bottle over Turtle's head before disappearing again. The third man cowers in front of the counter as Snake-Eyes discretely pours a trail of lighter fluid under the man's bottom then trails the fluid round behind the counter and lights it. Snake-Eyes and Tracy-Ann flee the store as it ignites. Outside Scarlett is waiting in the car and tells him to fix his mask, saying she won't even ask what happened. Featured Characters Errors Items of note *In the United Kingdom the story was reprinted in Action Force #50. Footnotes Category:Marvel Comics issues